In a vehicle such as an automobile, an instrument panel is provided in a front portion within a vehicle compartment (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-96525).
It has been reviewed to install a knee protector structure in an interior of the instrument panel in order to protect knees of a vehicle occupant in case of emergency.
As such a knee protector structure there has been developed a knee protector structure provided with a lower absorption bracket able to absorb knee input energy of a small-statured vehicle occupant (e.g., a small-statured female occupant) and an upper absorption bracket able to absorb knee input energy of a vehicle occupant of an average constitution (e.g., a male occupant of an average constitution), input-side end portions of the lower absorption bracket and the upper absorption brackets being connected with each other through a connecting bracket.
When a knee of a small-statured vehicle occupant is in contact with the knee protector structure, the lower absorption bracket which lies at a low position is deformed, whereby knee input energy of the small-statured occupant can be absorbed. When a knee of a vehicle occupant of an average constitution is in contact with the knee protector, the upper absorption bracket which lies at a high position is mainly deformed, whereby knee input energy of the occupant of the average constitution can be absorbed. By thus properly using the two upper and lower absorption brackets it is possible to let the knee protector cope with various vehicle occupants different in stature or constitution.